THE 


SUPERIOR    ADVANTAGES 


OF    THE 


CITY  of  JOLIET, 


ILLINOIS. 


COMPILED    BY 

Lifornia        Univ 

Q,    HOPKINS      KOWELL 

.onal  b(  J          ^_ 

lity 


JOLIET: 

HKPLTBLICAN     STKAM    PRESS. 


<;KITZNKK  &  HENDERSON,  HOOK  AXD  JOB  PRFNTEBS. 
1871. 


WISCONSIN 


JOLIET 


' 


< 


THE 


GREAT  RESOURCES, 


AND 


SUPERIOR    ADVANTAGES 


OF   THE 


CITY  of  JOLIET 


ILLINOIS. 


COMPILED   BY 


"HOPKINS        RoWELL 


JOLIET: 

REPUBLICAN    STEAM    PRESS. 


GEITZNER   &   HENDEBSON,   BOOK   AND   JOB   PRINTERS. 
1871. 


NTRODUCTORY. 


OLIET  is  the  shire  town  of  Will  county,  Illinois.  It  is  forty 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  and  has  a  population  of  about 
ten  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Des  Plainc  River,  and  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal  pass  through  the  city.  The  broad  plain  or 
valley  of  the  river,  with  its  fall  of  thirty  fuct,  within  the  city  limits 
affords  a  spacious,  pleasant  and  healthy  site  for  a  great  manufac- 
turing and  business  city — while  the  undulating  bluffs  on  either  side 
furnish  thousands  of  charming  locations  for  city  residences. 

Its  railroad  facilities  are  not  surpassed,  except  at  Chicago, 
Being  parallel  with  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  it  is  on  the  great 
central  air-line  route  of  trade  and  travel,  from  ocean  to  ocean.  This 
advantage  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  It  is  causing  an  increased 
yearly  divergence  of  trade  from  Chicago,  over  the  Joliet  Cut-Off 
route.  It  also  affords  us  local  shipping  facilities  to  Boston  and  New 
York  as  cheap  as  that  city  possesses.  Few  towns  can  be  more  healthy 
or  as  well  supplied  with  the  purest  water.  The  gas  works  are 
ample  for  thirty  thousand  inhabitants.  And  there  are  over  thirty 
miles  of  finely  graded  streets.  The  generous  support  of  eleven 
flourishing  churchtes ;  and  of  schools  in  like  proportion,  are  evidence 
of  the  liberality  and  public  spirit  of  our  citizens.  For  a  fuller  expo- 
sition of  our  superior  advantages,  we  refer  to  the  following  pages. 

Does  any  one  ask  why  we  advertise  our  city  ?  We  reply  that 
it  is  to  spread  abroad  a  knowledge  of  those  advantages,  and  strive 
to  build  up  here  what  nature  formed  us  for  —  a  great  industrial  and 
manufacturing  city. 


4:  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

We  have  every  facility,  and  only  need  capital  and  skilled  labor 
to  attain  this  desired  result.  Do  you  again  ask  why  we  have  waited 
until  now  to  tell  our  story  ? 

We  answer,  that  we  have  only  now  got  our  resources  together. 
We  have  just  tapped  Lake  Michigan,  and  henceforth  possess  a  never- 
failing  flood  of  wealth  pouring  through  our  city.  We  have  just  dis- 
covered and  developed  the  best  coal  mines  in  the  West,  ensuring 
cheap  fuel  for  the  million,  and  propelling  power  for  machinery.  We 
have  just  had  a  thorough  scientific  test  of  Jolict  stone,  confirming  its 
superiority  to  all  western  samples.  We  have  just  gained  access  by 
rail,  to  the  silver  mines  of  Utah,  enabling  us  to  get  their  ores  for 
smelting.  And  we  have  but  just  brought  to  light,  through  our 
artesian  wells,  those  copious  gushing  fountains  of  the  purest  water. 
All  of  these,  added  to  our  previous  vast  resources,  as  hereinafter  set 
forth,  justify  us  in  spreading  before  the  world  these  facts,  and  this 
pamphlet.  Justify  us  in  efficiently  advertising  our  matchless  resour- 
ces, and  holding  out  the  inducements  for  labor,  capital,  and  diversified 
industries  to  come  among  us. 

We  are  not  wholly  unselfish  in  this  movement.  We  expect  to 
magnify  our  own  local  prosperity ;  but  we  promise  that  the  benefit 
shall  be  reciprocal ;  we  agree  to  give  you  a  full  equivalant.  We 
offer  you  good  wages;  cheap  and  pleasant  homes;  cheap  fuel; 
cheap  food ;  large  dividends  on  capital,  and  an  equal  portion  in  our 
onward  growth  and  prosperity.  Therefore,  we  say — not  in  a  pro- 
fane sense, —  but  in  a  literal  material  sense,  to  the  workman,  the 
mechanic,  the  artisan,  the  manufacturer,  the  capitalist,  and  the  enter- 
prising founder  of  every  new  industry,  seeking  a  western  locality, 
"  Come,  thou,  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good." 


AJDVAOTAGES. 


COMMERCIAL    FACILITIES. 

Joliet  has  commercial  facilities  superior  to  every  city  in  Illinois, 
Chicago  alone  excepted.  Only  a  brief  investigation  is  requisite  to 
establish  this  position. 

First — It  is  on  the  great  air-line  route  of  trade  and  travel  from 
east  to  west.  Those  great  trunk-line  railroads  —  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific,  and  the  Chicago  &  St.  Louis,  with  its  Pacific  con- 
nection —  both  converge  here,  freighted  with  the  boundless  riches 
of  the  illimitable  "West. 

Joliet  ships  a  goodly  portion  of  these  treasures  due  east  over 
the  Cut-Off  road,  instead  of  sending  them  on  a  triangular  passage 
via  Chicago.  This  divergence  of  trade  from  Chicago  augments  so 
rapidly  that  a  double-track  line  due  east  will  soon  be  an  imperative 
necessity.  Hence  our  local  dcalcars  pay  Chicago  prices  for  pork 
and  grain  during  the  winter  market,  enabling  us  to  challenge  com- 
parison, and  defy  competition  with  all  other  towns.  Corroborating 
testimony  is  found  in  the  fact  that  wagon  loads  of  pork  and  grain 
have,  during  the  past  winter,  come  from  a  distance  of  forty  miles, 
past  other  market  towns,  to  secure  the  higher  prices  paid  at  Joliet. 

Second — Joliet  enjoys  a  like  superiority  as  a  distributive  centre 
for  the  shipment  of  goods,  wares,  and  products,  in  all  directions,  too 
and  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Because,  super-added  to  our 
great  trunk  and  air-line  route  of  trade,  and  our  local  railroad  con- 
nections with  each  other,  and  numerous  outside  diverging  lines,  we 
also  virtually  enjoy  the  entire  net-work  of  Chicago  roads,  owing  to 
our  suburban  proximity  to  that  city. 

Third — Our  canal  gives  us  another  commercial  advantage  via 
cheap  lake  and  river  transportation.  "When  made  into  a  ship  canal, 
as  it  soon  must  be,  Joliet  may  ship  cargoes  without  breaking  bulk, 
via  the  lakes  and  Mississippi  River,  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Our 
spacious  canal  and  river  basins  afford  us  miles  of  superior  wharfage. 

NATURAL  RESOURCES. 

Nature  has  endowed  Joliet,  and  "Will  county  with  a  profusion 
and  vastnoBS  of  resources  unsurpassed  by  any  other  locality  011  this 
continent — if  it  is  equaled  upon  the  globe.  This  is  a  pretty  bold 
M«ertion,  but  let  u*  §ee,— 


0  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

J^'irs  t — Are  our  commercial  advantages,  present  and  prospective 
a*  set  tort  1 1  in  the  preceding  article  under  that  head.  We  refer  the 
reader  to  a  candid  consideration  of  its  incontestible  truths. 

Second — Our  Joliet  marble  and  stone  quarries,  surpassing  in 
quality  and  extent  all  others  in  the  country.  These  constitute  a  source 
of  wealth  that  will  long  endure  after  the  gold  mines  of  California 
Khali  have  vanished  from  existence.  The  products  of  these  quarries 
readied  nearly  one  million  of  dollars  the  past  year — finding  a  market 
in  ten  different  states,  —  and  yet  their  development  has  scarcely 
begun.  \Ve  invite  the  reader's  attention  to  an  article  headed 
"  Stone,'"  giving  fuller  details  of  this  invaluable  interest. 

Third —  A  water-power  unsurpassed  in  volume  and  durability 
is  to  be  ours.  We  have  the  river  Des  Plaines  for  a  mill-race,  and 
Lake  Michigan  for  a  mill-pond,  and  a  fall  of  thirty  feet,  within  the 
city  limits,  Avith  additional  power  just  above  and  below  us.  This 
flood  of  wealth  can  never  fail  us,  (unless  Lake  Michigan  dries 
up)  and  is  sure  to  found  a  city  of  extensive  manufacturing  propor- 
tions. Mr.  Gooding,  State  Engineer  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  declares  this  water-power  equal  to  any  on  the  continent.  The 
reader  is  referred  to  his  article  on  "  Canal  and  Water- Power,"  in 
another  part  of  this  pamphlet. 

Fourth — Our  fourth  invaluable  resource  is  found  in  the  exten- 
sive coal  mines  of  Will  County,  just  below  the  city.  This  coal  is 
superior  to  any  in  the  state,  and  proves  to  be  the  only  Illinois  coal 
adapted  to  smelting  purposes,  and  must  soon  build  up  an  extensive 
iron  interest  here,  besides  our  rolling  mills.  Moreover,  our  eastern 
capitalists  can  not  fail  to  seize  upon  this  point  for  establishing  silver 
ore  smelting-works,  as  great  quantities  of  this  ore  now  pass  from 
the  western  mines,  through  Joliet,  en  route  to  Swansey,  in  Wales, 
for  smelting.  Mr.  Reed,  Engineer  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  furnishes 
our  pamphlet  a  valuable  article  on  this  topic.  Certain,  it  is,  that 
Joliet  is  blessed  with  perpetual  cheap  fuel  for  domestic  and  manufac- 
turing purposes. 

Fifth —  A  fifth  resource  is  the  best  and  most  extensive  cement 
gravel  beds  any  where  known;  the  shipments  from  which  during 
the  past  year  aggregate  near  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  The 
demand  is  yearly  increasing.  We  furnish  an  article  headed,  "  Cement 
Gravel,"  giving  fuller  details. 

Sixth  —  An  unequaled  and  inexhaustable  supply  of  cheap  build- 
ing materials ;  including  stone,  brick,  lime,  sand,  and  even  lumber. 
These  facts  are  otherwhere  fully  set  forth. 


ADVANTAGES.  7 

Seventh  —  A  surrounding  country  unrivalled  in  the  extent  and 
richness  of  its  agricultural  resources.  At  our  Will  county  fair  last 
fall,  the  best  judges  pronounced  the  exhibition  of  stock,  including 
blooded  horses,  cattle,  and  swine,  equal  to  any  at  the  State  Fair. 
While  samples  of  grain,  dairy,  and  vegetable  products,  could  not 
be  surpassed  in  the  East  or  West.  Judge  Randall  treats  of  this  sub- 
ject elsewhere. 

JZif/hth  —  Our  sightly  and  beautiful  surroundings,  healthy  loca- 
tion, and  artesian  wells,  affording  an  abundant  supply  of  the  purest 
water. 

yinth — The  rich  and  rare  deposits  at  the  Joliet  Mound  IVorfc. 
Those  products  are  no  where  excelled.  The  bath-brick  are  quite 
equal  to  those  imported  from  Europe;  while  the  fire-brick,  drain- 
tile,  and  stone  sewer-pipe,  are  equal  to  the  best. 

We  invite  a  candid  consideration  of  the  resources  here  enumera- 
ted; and  do  not  hesitate  to  ask  what  locality  can  show  an  equal 
record  V  What  point  so  eligible  for  all  diversified  industrial  and 
manufacturing  enterprises,  and  promising  so  rich  returns  £>r  labor, 
and  the  investment  of  surplus  eastern  capital? 

CANAL  AND  WATER-POWER 

In  a  letter  received  by  us,  from  the  Hon.  Wm.  Gooding,  of 
Lockport,  for  more  than  thirty  years  State  Engineer  for  Illinois,  he 
says, — 

"  If  you  can  adopt  some  practical  plan  to  make  the  commerual 
and  industrial  advantages  of  Joliet  fully  understood  in  sections  of 
country  where  capital  and  population  are  more  abundant  than  here, 
it  must  result  most  favorably  to  your  city ;  and  consequently  a  large 
section  of  surrounding  country.  Even  Lockport  (dead  enough  at 
present)  would  sooner  or  later  feel  the  influx  to  some  extent,  of  cap- 
ital and  labor.  I  have  frequently  expressed  the  opinion, — which  I 
never  entertained  more  strongly  than  now, — that  the  time  would 
come  when  the  six  miles  intervening  between  the  lock  here,  at  the 
running  out  of  the  Lake  Michigan  level,  and  the  head  of  Lake 
Joliet,  will  be  one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  districts 
in  t/ie  world!  This  may  seem  somewhat  extravagant,  but  what 
other  section  of  country  of  similar  extent  embraces  so  many  impor- 
tant advantages  ? 

"  In  this  distance  is  nearly  half  the  fall  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Illinois  River  at  its  mouth  or  connection  with  the  Mississippi 
and  for  water-power  Lake  Michigan  forms  an  ample  reservoir  for  all 
practical  purposes,  No  one  who  has  thoroughly  investigated  the 


8  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

subject,  can  doubt  for  a  moment  that  this  is  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
commercial  thoroughfares  upon  our  continent,  and  that  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal  is  now  a  mere  ditch  compared  with  what  it  will 
be ;  but  the  canal  will  probably  be  enlarged  only  to  the  head  of 
Lake  Joliet,  and  from  that  point,  down  the  river,  improved  to  admit 
river  steamers  of  the  largest  capacity. 

"  So  much  for  water  communication,  and  water-power.  Then, 
Joliet  is  just  upon  the  margin  of  one  of  the  finest  coal-fields  in  the 
West;  so  that  cheap  steam-power  for  manufacturing,  can  always  be 
commanded. 

"  The  finest  stone  quarries  that  can  be  found  any  where,  are  in 
your  immediate  vicinity;  and  the  quantity  of  superior  building 
material  is  inexhaustible. 

"Joliet  is  already  a  great  railroad  center ;  and  more  roads  are 
coming;  so  that,  with  these  competing  lines  of  railroad,  and  the 
canal  and  improved  river,  cheap  transportation  may  be  calculated 
upon  with  certainty. 

"  Raw  materials  can  be  obtained  as  cheaply  at  this  point  as  any 
other ;  and  it  could  not  be  more  centrally  situated  for  the  distribution 
of  the  products  of  the  various  manufactures.  The  surrounding 
country  is  unsurpassed  for  beauty  and  fertility ;  and  no  more  healthy 
region  can  be  found  even  among  the  New  England  hills.  But  par- 
don me  for  stating  thus  hastily  and  imperfectly  a  few  only  of  the 
facts  which  your  meeting  will  doubtless  consider  and  place  i:i  a 
clear  and  attractive  form  before  our  eastern  friends. 

"  I  am  opposed  to  any  exaggeration  of  our  advantages,  but  am 
quite  certain  that  a  simple  and  truthful  statement  of  facts  will  aston- 
ish those  who  never  properly  considered  them. 

"  Truly,  yours, 

"Wat.  GOODING." 

RAILROADS. 

BY   HO2f.    H.    N.    MARSH,    OF   JOLIET. 

It  needs  but  a  glance  at  the  map  to  show  the  almost  unparalleled 
advantages  of  Joliet,  as  a  railroad  center.  Few  cities  east  or  west 
possess  equal  facilities  for  procuring  by  rail,  the  raw  material  from 
the  sources  of  supply,  or  of  shipping  manufactured  goods  to  all  points 
of  the  compass,  as  Joliet. 

"Westward,  the  C.  R.  I.  &  P.  R.  R.  brings  within  our  reach  the 
fertile  fields  of  Iowa,  the  mineral  stores  of  Colorado,  Utah  and  Ne- 
vada, and  the  boundless  wealth  of  the  Pacific  coast 


AND  ADVANTAGES.  9 

By  its  branches  and  connections  we  have  access  to  the  agri- 
cultural riches  of  northern  and  western  Illinois,  southern  Wis- 
consin, to  the  teeming  cereal  wealth  of  Minnesota,  and  the 
rapidly  developing  regions  of  northern  Iowa  and  Dakota.  By 
its'southwestern  branch,  to  be  finished  early  the  coming  summer, 
we  shall  have  direct  and  rapid  communication  with  southern  and 
western  Iowa,  western  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  the  regions  beyond, 
from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  All  these 
immense  regions  are  rapidly  filling  up  with  an  intelligent  and 
enterprising  population;  requiring  vast  supplies  of  agricultural 
implements  and  manufactured  goods,  which,  as  we  expect  to 
show  conclusively,  can  be  manufactured  here  more  cheaply,  and 
distributed  more  readily  and  economically  than  from  any  other 
point.  The  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  railroad,  by  its  main 
line,  its  branches  and  connections,  open  up  to  us  a  highway  to 
the  regions  south  and  southwest;  bringing  to  our  doors  the  cot- 
ton of  the  gulf  states;  the  iron  and  other  minerals  of  Missouri, 
with  its  hemp,  its  flour  and  grain  ;  the  fruits  and  cereals  of  what 
was  once  our  own  Egypt, — Egypt  no  longer; — and  opening  up 
in  all  those  rapidly  developing  regions  a  market  for  our  own  pro- 
ductions ;  and  for  our  manufactured  goods,  as  fast  as  we  are  able 
to  supply  the  rapidly  increasing  demands. 

By  the  Joliet  branch  of  the  Michigan  Central  (Joliet  Cut- 
Off),  we  have  a  direct  communication  with  the  east,  including 
not  only  Xew  York,  and  the  Middle  States,  but  New  England 
and  Canada;  and  with  the  lumber  regions  of  Indiana,  Michigan, 
and  the  Canadian  provinces.  And  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that 
grain,  cattle,  pork,  and  indeed  all  our  western  productions,  are 
shipped  from  this  place  to  all  points  on  the  Atlantio  seaboard — 
from  Baltimore  to  Quebec — at  the  same  rate  paid  from  Chicago. 
And  goods  from  all  the  eastern  sources  of  supply  are  laid  down 
in  our  depots  in  the  same  time,  and  on  the  same  terms  as  goods 
destined  to  our  magnificent  neighbor  on  the  north. 

Our  two  railroads  connecting  us  with  Chicago — the  Chicago 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  the  Chicago,  Alton  &  St.  Louis, 
give  us  almost  hourly  connections  with  that  great  city  of  the 
West.  Fourteen  passenger,  and  twenty  freight  trains,  like  vast 
shuttles,  daily  alternate  between  the  two  cities,  filling  up  the  web 
of  western  business  with  the  plastic  woof  of  enterprise.  The 
lumber  and  iron  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin ;  the  copper  of 
Lake  Superior,  and  the  coals  of  Pennsylvnaia,  are  laid  down  at 
our  doors,  at  a  rate  of  freight  so  low  as  to  make  scarcely 
1* 


10  JOLIET  :     ITS    RESOURCES 

a  perceptible  difference  in  their  cost.  And  by  way  of  Chicago 
we  hnve  additional  connections  with  all  the  business  centers  of 
the  eastern  seaboard  and  interior,  and  on  the  most  favorable 
terms  —  as  competition  with  the  Cut-Off  compels  all  roads  to 
ship  freights  to  Joliet  at  the  same  rates  charged  to  Chicago. 

The  new  Joliet  &  Aurora  Railroad  already  surveyed  and  to 
be  built  as  soon  as  the  spring  opens,  short  as  it  is,  will  undoubt- 
edly form  one  of  the  most  important  links  in  our  various  railroad 
connections.  By  it,  the  stone,  lime,  coal,  etc.,  so  much  needed 
in  that  direction,  can  be  delivered  to  them  at  a  mere  fraction  of 
the  expense  as  via  Chicago;  and  must  draw  largely  upon  our 
abundant  supplies  of  those  materials. 

The  vast  shipments  of  grain,  cattle,  etc.,  from  the  teeming 
southwest,  over  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 
instead  of  paying  tribute  to  the  elevators  and  Stock  Yards  of 
Chicago,  will  be  brought  here,  and  shipped  east,  by  the  Joliet 
Cut-Off,  and  other  roads,  which  will  soon  be  needed  to  take  the 
produce  offering  at  this  point,  to  the  markets  of  the  East.  It  is 
understood  that  one  of  our  most  important  trunk  lines  has 
recently  made  arrangements  for  building  a  branch  road  from 
some  point  in  or  near  this  city,  to  the  Wilmington  coal  fields. 
This  will  open  up  another  avenue  to  the  cheap  fuel  so  abundant 
on  our  southern  border  ;  and  tend  greatly  to  the  development  of 
our  resources  as  a  manufacturing  city. 

There  are  many  other  indirect  connections  with  finished 
lines,  as  well  as  new  roads  contemplated,  to  which  space  will 
not  permit  us  to  refer ;  but  we  think  enough  has  already  been 
said  to  establish  our  claim  to  the  possession  of  railroad  advan- 
tages equaled  by  few  of  the  most  favored  cities  of  the  land. 

AGRICULTURAL   RESOURCES. 

BY  JUI>OK    RANDALL,  OF    JOLIET. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  the  region  immediately  sur. 
rounding  the  city,  although  in  many  respects  similar  to  the  wide 
prairies  throughout  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  are  in  other 
respects,  greatly  superior.  They  consist,  first,  in  a  broken,  irreg- 
ular surface;  giving  romantic  variety,  innumerable  springs, 
limpid  brooks,  and  other  sources  of  the  purest  water,  in  great 
abundance.  This  condition  is  not  confined  to  this  city,  but  the 
county  of  Will,  and  the  surrounding  counties  of  Cook,Du  Page, 
Kendall,  Urundy,  Livingston,  and  Kankakee,  all  partake,  in  a 


AND    ADVANTAGES.  11 

large  degree,  of  the  characteristics  just  mentioned.  A  glance  at 
the  map  shows  that  nearly  the  entire  surface  of  these  counties 
is  drained  toward  this  city. 

The  Kankakee,  the  Des  Plaines,  and  the  DuPage  rivers,  all 
meandering  through  a  wide  scope  of  fertile  country,  unite  their 
forces  within  the  limits  of  this  county,  a  few  miles  below  the 
limits  of  this  city,  and  form  the  majestic  Illinois,  which  carries 
these  sparkling  waters  downward  to  the  "  Father  of  Waters." 
Manifestly,  the  valley  of  all  these  three  great  rivers  must  be 
unsurpassed  in  fertility  ;  and  the  natural  law  which  induces  pro- 
ductions to  flow  down  the  rivers  in  whose  valleys  they  are- raised, 
points  to  this  as  the  great  basin  in  which  those  productions 
intermingle,  and  seek  their  destination  to  the  markets  of  the 
world. 

Our  agricultural  productions,  then-,  may  be  said  to  be  as 
wide  and  varied  as  these  fertile  and  extensive  valleys.  The 
great  staple  is  corn.  It  is  grown  in  quantities  vastly  beyond 
the  wants  of  tire  population;  and  thousands  of  cars  are  freighted 
for  distant  markets.  Wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  barley  are  produced 
in  large  quantity,  but  here,  at  least,  "Corn  is  King."  It  goes 
to  market  in  bulk.  It  is  done  up  in  lard  and  beef-steak,  and- 
rolls  away  in  the  fumes  of  whisky.  It  is  so  natural  to  the  soil 
and  climate,  that  innumerable  fields  may  be  found  in  Illinois 
where  more  than  thirty  successive  crops  have  been  raised  without 
manure,  and  without  perceptible  diminution.  This  corn, —  and 
the  beef  and  pork  fattened  with  it,  constitute  a  very  large  por- 
tion of  our  railroad  freights. 

We  have  in  this  immediate  locality,  not  only  the  exceeding 
natural  fertility  of  the  soil,  but  also  fertilizers  in  inexhaustible 
quantities.  The  salurian  rock  on  which  our  city  is  founded, 
lying  beside  our  coal  fields,  contains  the  lime  requisite  to  ferti 
lize  for  centuries.  Inexhaustible  beds  of  marl  are  laid  away  in 
the  great  conservatory  of  nature,  ready  to  leap  forth  at  the  call 
of  the  husbandman. 

The  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  distant  plains  of  Texas  send 
us  immense  numbers  of  animals;  and  all  concentrating  here, 
add  to  our  local  power  of  fruitification.  The  centers  of  com- 
merce always  furnish  by  unavoidable  waste,  large  quantities  of 
fertilizing  ingredients.  The  importance  of  these  will  be  seen 
when  it  is  reeolleted  that  our  city  is  in  the  thoroughfare  of  the 
Pacific  trade,  and  at  the  point  of  the  crossing  of  the  commerce 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Lakes. 


12  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

It  is  believed  that  very  few  locations  can  be  found  possess- 
ing so  large  advantages  to  the  husbandman  as  the  valleys  of 
these  rivers  ;  and  that  a  very  dense  population  is  inevitable. 
The  day  of  large  corn-fields  and  wheat-fields  has  undoubtedly 
passed  away,  in  this  section,  and  smaller  divisions  become  a 
necessity.  No  location  can  be  found  better  adapted  to  dairy 
purposes.  The  pure  water,  and  the  large  amount  of  moist  land, 
susceptible  of  easy  drainage,  make  the  grasses  luxuriant,  and  the 
eye  rests  almost  constantly  upon  localities  suggestive  of  cheese 
factories;  while  the  great  prairies  west  of  us  are  daily  putting 
up  their  supplications  to  furnish  them  with  such  luxuries.  It  is 
not  our  purpose  in  this  short  article  to  go  into  particulars;  but 
by  this  general  description  to  call  the  attention  of  all  husband- 
men who  desire  to  find  locations,  to  this  section,  as  offering 
inducements  of  more  than  an  ordinary  character. 

STONE. 

BY    IIOX.    \V.    A.    STEEL,    OF    JOLIET. 

It  will  not  be  deemed  inappropriate  in  a  pamphlet  pre- 
pared to  set  forth  some  of  the  natural  advantages  of  Joliet,  that 
special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  item  which  heads  this 
article. 

In  the  construction  of  manufactories,  business  blocks, 
foundations  for  residences,  or  residences  themselves,  it  is  import- 
ant to  know  that  stone  of  good  quality  is  near  at  hand,  and  can 
be  obtained  at  moderate  cost.  Joliet  possesses  this  feature  in  a 
pre-eminent  degree. 

Within  the  city  limits,  and  lying  adjacent  thereto,  in  every 
direction,  are  quarries,  developed  and  inexhaustible,  of  the 
finest  stone  ever  yet  discovered  within  a  distance  of  seven  hun- 
dred miles  north,  south,  east,  or  any  where  west  of  this  point. 
The  stone  is  white  in  color,  and  is  magnesian  limestone  of  the 
best  quality,  weighing  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  pounds  per  cubic  foot. 

Throughout  the  northwestern  states  it  is  called  "  Joliet 
marble,"  for  it  accepts  any  character  of  finish,  (  even  the  finest,) 
and  is  used  largely  for  monumental  and  the  other  higher  grades 
of  work. 

These  quarries  are  all  stratified.  The  strata  ranging  from 
two  inches  thick  up  to  forty-two  inches.  This  natural  arrange- 
ment enables  owners  of  quarries  to  produce  the  material  for  use 
at  a  comparatively  small  cost. 


AND  ADVANTAGES.  13 

The  prices  of  stone  at  Joliet  are,  as  near  as  may  be,  as 
follows  : — Rubble,  the  article  chiefly  used  in  constructing  manu- 
factories, shops,  foundations,  etc.,  five  dollars  per  cord.  Dimen- 
sion stone  varies  from  twenty  cents  to  fifty-one  cents  per  cubic 
foot,  according  to  grade. 

The  amount  shipped  from  here  by  railroads  and  canal  during 
the  year  1870,  reached  about  one  million  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  cubic  feet  (or  about  twelve  thousand  car 
loads)  ;  and  the  demand  indicates  that  this  quantity  will  be 
increased  annually. 

In  the  spring  of  1867,  the  United  States  government,  in 
view  of  the  erection  of  extensive  government  buildings  in  the 
western  states,  ordered  that  a  board  of  scientific  officers  should 
proceed  to  ascertain  minutely  the  properties  of  Joliet  stone; 
applying  to  it  all  the  tests  which  science  has  discovered  for 
such  purposes.  The  buildings  to  be  erected  were  intended  to 
stand  for  all  time  ;  and  hence  the  government  went  to  consider- 
able expense  in  procuring  machinery,  and  otherwise,  to  make  the 
tests,  so  that  there  might  be  no  mistake  as  to  finding  the  best 
stone  in  the  western  states.  The  board  performed  the  work,  and 
we  insert  the  official  report. 

First. — As  to  the  properties  of  Joliet  stone — 

Density 2.6440 

Crushing  force  in  pounds 58853 

Crushing  force  in  pounds  per  square  inch 14708 

Began  to  spawl 5 7 833 

Breaking  weight  to  transverse  strain 15850 

Transverse  strength S.=  _?£^- =248to320 

0  4   B.13-    S3 

Tranverse  sample,  4  in.  xj8  in.  x  20  in.,  and 
Crushing  sample  2  in.  x  2  in.  x  4  inches. 

Second. — To  ascertain  the  absorptive  properties  of  the 
stone,  the  samples  were  placed  on  the  boiler  of  a  steam  engine, 
in  motion,  and  remained  there  sixteen  days.  They  were  then 
weighed,  and  placed  in  water,  where  they  remained  three  days 
and  nights,  and  were  again  weighed,  with  the  result  given  below. 

/Sample,  No.  1. 

GRAINS. 

Weight  before  steeping 8211.8 

"       after  "     6382. 

Increase  in  Weight 170.2 

Increase  per  cent , 2.78 


14  .FOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

Sample,  No.  2.  <; RAINS. 

Weight  before  steeping 5640.5 

"       after  "  ..5800. 


Increase  in  weight 159.5 

Increase  per  cent 2.8 

The  superior  quality  of  Joliet  stone  had  never  been 
doubted,  but  the  foregoing  results  established  incontrovertibly 
that  no  stone  yet  discovered  in  the  western  states  could  cope 
with  it.  This  truth  is  further  proved  by  the  fact  that  Iowa, 
Missouri,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  perhaps  other  states, 
are  ordering  heavily  from  these  quarries.  Reference  may  be 
made  to  the  customhouse  atDes  Moines,  Iowa  (three hundred  and 
iifty-seven  miles,  from  Joliet);  to  the  custom  house  at  Madison, 
Wisconsin  (  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  miles  from  Joliet); 
to  the  new  county  buildings  erected  at  St.  Louis  (two  hundred 
and  forty  miles  from  Joliet)  ;  to  the  extensive  U.  S.  arsenal  build- 
ings on  Rock  Island,  in  the  Mississippi  River;  to  two  bridges 
built  by  government,  to  connect  said  arsenal  at  different  points 
to  the  eastern  shore;  to  a  bridge  connecting  Illinois  and  Iowa  at 
Dubuque  ;  to  the  United  States  marine  hospital  at  Chicago  ;  to 
the  new  Penitentiary  just  completed,  in  Indiana;  to  the  stone 
portion  of  the  national  Lincoln  monument  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois ;  the  magnificent  State  Capitol  of  Illinois,  now  being  con- 
structed; and  to  innumerable  court  houses  and  jails,  built  in 
this  and  other  states. 

There  are  at  work  in  the  quarries  thus  far  opened  here,  from 
five  hundred  and  fifty  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men.  The 
demand  is  still  increasing;  and  it  is  beyond  doubt  that  still 
other  quarries  must  be  opened. 

It  is  worth  mentioning,  in  this  connection,  that  large  parcels 
of  vacant  ground  upon  which  manufactories  must  shortly  be 
erected,  both  within  the  city  limits,  and  immediately  adjoining, 
will  require  no  excavation  for  foundations.  They  afford  a  solid 
stone  foundation  within  a  few  inches  of  the  surface.  These  lands 
too,  are  near  the  water-power,  canal,  and  railroads. 

COAL  AND  IRON. 

BY    I.    R.    ADAMS,    ESQ.,    OF    JOLIET.  • 

Near  Joliet,  and  in  this  county,  are  the  finest  coal  fields  in  Illi- 
nois, underlying  thousands  of  acres  of  rich  farming  lands,  aiid 
producing  over  five  hundred  thousand  tons  per  annum- 


AND     ADVANTAGES.  15 

There  are  ten  shafts  now  opened,  and  many  more  are  being 
located,  in  order  to  supply  the  demand  for  this  favorite  fuel  which  is 
unsurpassed  for  steam  and  grate  purposes,  it  having  a  long  and  clear 
flame.  "With  the  abundant  shipping  facilities,  it  can  be  delivered  here 
at  a  figure  but  little  above  the  cost  of  mining,  giving  us  a  cheap 
steam  which  is  material  to  the  successful  operation  of  manufacturers. 

This  coal  is  what  is  termed  by  geologists  No.  2  coal,  being  the 
same  strata  that  is  found  in  the  Big  Muddy  and  Chester  fields,  and 
has  a  less  amount  of  ash,  (only  3£  per  cent.)  than  most  bituminous 
coals  found  in  Pennsylvania,  giving  it  so  much  more  combustible 
material,  and  specially  adapting  it  for  the  working  of  iron. 

The  analysis  made  by  Prof.  Seibel,  shows : 

Carbon 81-10") 

Hydrogin 5—7 

Xitro  and  Oxygin 9-7  I  Coke,  60  per  cent. 

Sulphur -3 

Water ioo-Sj 

The  analysis  compares  with  the  best  English  bituminous  coal. 
During  the  past  year,  a  large  rolling  mill  compared  with  any  in  the 
country  for  architecture  and  general  plan,  commenced  working  with- 
in our  limits.  Its  Avails  are  built  of  the  same  stone  on  which  our 
city  rests,  and  which  forms  the  solid  foundation  for  its  ponderous 
machinery. 

The  works  are  in  successful  operation,  turning  out  over  one 
hundred  tons  of  railroad  iron  daily,  and  so  well  are  the  proprietors 
convinced  of  the  value  of  the  coal,  and  the  importance  of  Joliet  as  a 
distributive  point,  so  essential  to  manufacturers,  that  they  are  making 
plans,  and  will  probably  commence  work  early  in  the  spring  on  an 
immense  Bessemer  steel  works,  to  cost  not  less  than  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  vrill  employ  one  hundred  men  in  addition  to 
the  three  hundred  men  now  at  work. 

There  is  but  little  doubt  that  a  good  coke  can  be  made  from  our 
coal,  as  the  analysis  before  mentioned  shows  the  coke  to  be  sixty  per 
cent.,  giving  us  a  cheap  fuel  for  foundry  purposes. 

The  largest  foundries  in  Chicago  are  getting  their  moulding  sand 
from  here. 

The  railroad  connections,  the  low  taxes,  cheap  building  mater- 
ials, and  advantages  above  named  have  already  called  0119  stove 
manufactory  here,  and  a  visit  will  show  to  others,  that  soon  we  will 
be  able  to  drive  the  Kastcrn  foundries,  who  are  now  manufacturing 
for  the  "Western  trade,  from  the  field  of  competition,  as  Lake 
.Superior  pig  iron  is  as  cheap  here  as  in  Buffalo,  and  the  freight*  and 
their  profits  can  be  pocketed  by  our  fortunate  stove  founder. 


1  6  JOLIET  :    ITS   EESOTJECES 

Not  only  to  rolling  mills  and  foundries  has  Joliot  the  advantages 
above  named,  but  to  any  person  looking  for  a  new  field  of  industrial 
enterprise,  a  close  investigation  will  show  that  for  other  bi-anches  of 
manufactories  there  is  the  same  auspicious  opening.  All  we  ask  is 
an  impartial  investigation  to  insure  a  verdict  hi  our  favor. 

SMELTING  ORES. 

BY    SAMUEL    B.    EEED,    ESQ.,    OF    JOLIET,    ENGINEER    OF    THE    GEEAT 
UNION    PACIFIC    EAILEOAD. 

The  geographical  position  of  Joliet  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
successful  working  of  the  reduction  of  ores,  being  on  the  direct  line 
east  from  San  Francisco,  via  Pacific  Railroad,  and  from  Colorado 
and  all  the  rich  mineral  country  west  and  southwest,  tributary  to  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  which  will  soon  be  completed  from  Denver, 
west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

These  roads  pass  through,  and  are  contiguous  to,  large  areas  of 
rich  silver  mining  country,  whose  products  must  find  a  market  in  the 
East.  It  is  impracticable  to  reduce  the  oars  successfully  in  the 
mountains,  owing  to  the  great  cost  of  transporting  and  putting  in 
operation  the  necessary  machinery — the  great  scarcity  and  cost  of 
fuel  in  the  mining  districts — the  absence  and  cost  of  iron  for  desul- 
phurating  the  ores  with  economy — the  great  cost  of  subsistence  and 
tools  for  men  and  teams,  and  the  high  price  of  labor. 

There  is  no  location  in  the  country  that  possesses  superior,  if  as 
good,  inducements  as  this,  for  capitalists  to  invest  in  mills  and  furna- 
ces for  the  reduction  of  the  rich  silver  ores  that  are  now  being  shipped 
from  the  various  mining  districts  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  country, 
contiguous  to  the  line  of  the  Central  and  Union  Pacific  Railroads  to 

c5 

the  Atlantic  sea-board,  and  thence  to  Swansey,  in  Wales  for  reduction. 
Joliet  has  an  abundance  of  water-power  for  driving  the  neces- 
sary machinery.  Also,  fuel,  admir  ably  adapted  to  smelting  ores  of 
that  nature,  in  inexhaustible  quantities  within  a  few  miles,  which  is 
being  mined  and  shipped  to  market  extensively  by  canal  and  rail. 
Iron  filings  and  old  scrap  iron  at  nominal  rates  for  de sulphurating  the 
ores  with  economy,  cheap  and  abundant  labor,  and  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  rich  agricultural  country,  subsistance  of  all  kinds  will 
always  be  obtained  at  the  lowest  rates.  Even  if  the  ores  were 
reduced  in  the  mountains  where  mined,  the  lead  and  copper  which  is 
thirty  to  seventy  per  cent,  will  be  lost,  because  it  will  not  pay  trans- 
portation to  market.  If  reduced  here,  it  will  be  valuable,  and  greatly 
increase  the  net  proceeds  of  the  ores.  There  are  not  mills  enough 
on  this  contuient  to  reduce  the  ores  as  fast  as  they  are  now  being 


AND   ADVANTAGES.  17 

mined.  (And  the  mining  business  is  in  its  infancy  yet ).  Conse- 
quently, large  shipments  are  continually  passing  through  Joliet,  on 
the  way  to  Swansey,  in  Wales,  for  reduction.  If  mills  for  smelting 
ores  and  separating  the  silver  and  gold  from  the  baser  metals,  were 
in  successful  operation  in  Joliet,  no  matter  how  great  their  capacity, 
they  would  be  crowded  to  their  utmost  extent. 

BUILDING  MATERIALS. 

LIME,  BKICK,  SAXD,  STONE,  AXD    LUMBER. 

These  articles  comprise  the  raw  material,  and  chief  expense  in 
the  construction  of  buildings,  and  the  enlargement  of  cities.  When 
found  upon  the  localities  where  used,  the  expense  in  building  is 
much  less  than  when  such  heavy  materials  are  transported  from 
other  points  on  wagons,  cars,  or  boats. 

Two  of  these,  viz. :  Lime  and  stone  of  prim  quality,  exist  in 
great  abundance  within  the  city  limits  of  Joliet.  A  like  abundant 
supply  of  superior  building  sand,  and  clay  for  brick,  are  found  within 
a  mile.  While  lumber  is  merely  a  fraction  above  Chicago  prices, 
and  is  actually  below  the  quotations  in  New  England,  and  the  state  of 
New  York.  The  reason  of  this  seems  apparent  when  we  reflect  that 
the  pineries  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  float  their  treasures  of  the 
forest  directly  to  our  doors,  upon  river,  lake,  and  canal  craft.  There- 
fore, we  confidently  claim  for  Joliet  a  precedence  over  every  other 
locality  that  can  be  named,  either  east  or  west,  for  its  abundant  and 
cheap  supply  of  raw  materials  for  building  purposes.  For  its  abun- 
dance, because  there  are  no  limits  to  the  supply.  And  for  cheapness, 
because  these  supplies  are  found  at  our  very  doors,  thus  saving  the 
great  expense  of  transporting  them,  either  by  rail,  by  water,  or  upon 
wagons.  Hence  this  is  the  place  of  cheap  homes  for  the  laborer, 
the  artisan,  and  the  mechanic.  Of  cheap  blocks  for  businessmen; 
of  cheap  manufacturing  establishments;  and  for  the  founding  of  all 
diversified  industrial  enterprises.  In  short, : the  most  promising 
field  for  co-operative  labor  and  capital  to  achieve  a  complete  successl 

Joliet  holds  out  a  cordial  welcome  to  all  of  these  classes,  te 
whom  we  can  supply  the  "sinews"  for  building,  at  a  trifle  above  first 
cost  prices,  and  yet  have  enough  left  to  export  for  the  building  rip  of 
surrounding  cities.  For  a  knowledge  of  our  other  advantages  we 
refer  to  the  various  articles  found  in  this  pamphlet. 

CEMENT  GRAVEL. 

Three  or  four  extensive  deposits  of  this  material  are  found  at 
Joliet,  and  more  may  yet  be  discovered.  The  qualities  of  this  gravel 

2 


18  JOLIET:   ITS  BESOUBCES 

are  unlike,  and  superior  to,  those  of  any  other  gravel  deposits  known 
in  the  country.  It  is  true,  that  water  lime,  and  the  ordinary  cement 
of  commerce  are  found  in  many  places. 

It  is  equally  true,  that  there  are  numerous  deposits  of  free 
gravel  to  be  found  in  some  states.  The  one  is  cement  by  itself,  and 
the  other  gravel  by  itself.  But  here  these  substances,  or  their 
properties,  are  happily  blended  in  one  mixture  known  as  the  Joliet 
Cement  Gravel. 

It  is  similar  in  appearance  to  ordinary  gravel,  being  readily 
removed  by  the  pick  and  shovel.  But  there  is  diffused  through  the 
mass  a  subtle  mixture  of  cement  ingredients,  which  gradually 
hardens  into  one  solid  compact  substance  when  exposed  to  the  action 
of  the  sun,  air,  rain,  and  travel.  Hence  its  great  value  for  grading 
streets,  drains,  avenues,  walks,  etc. 

About  thirty  miles  of  streets  in  Joliet  are  graded  with  it,  afford- 
ing some  of  the  best  drives  any  where  to  be  found.  Many  streets  in 
Chicago,  Riverside,  and  other  suburban  towns  of  that  city,  are  using 
the  same  material.  Even  Bloomington,  Springfield,  and  Alton  have 
sent  orders  for  it. 

The  entire  shipments  of  1870,  foot  up  in  value  about  $200,000, 
and  the  demand  is  rapidly  extending.  To  work  these  mines  of 
wealth,  affords  employment  to  many  laboring  men,  and  adds  not  a 
little  to  the  revenues  of  our  railroads.  Fortunately  the  supply  in 
ample  for  many  years  to  come. 

ARTESIAN  WELLS  AND  WATER  SUPPLY. 

Artesian  wells  are  obtained  by  appliances  for  boring  into  the 
outside  crust  of  the  earth,  and  bringing  to  the  surface  those  liquid 
treasures  that  the  God  of  nature  had  long  since  stored  up  in  their 
deep,  dark,  vast  recesses  preparatory  for  the  use  of  man.  At  Syracuse 
and  Saginaw,  the  product  is  brine,  affording  salt  to  supply  a  nation's 
wants. 

At  Spring  Lake  and  other  Michigan  localities  it  is  mineral 
water,  strongly  impregnated  with  medicinal  properties  for  the  "  heal- 
ing" of  the  people. 

At  Chicago,  Jolirrt,  and  most  other  points,  it  is  common  water 
for  domestic  use.  We  have  four  of  these  wells;  one  at  the  prison, 
one  at  the  rolling  mills,  one  at  the  tank  of  C.,  A.  <fe  St.  Louis  rail- 
road, and  one  at  the  public  square.  The  volume  of  water  they  dis- 
charge is  immense.  The  one  last  named,  throws  up  from  a  depth  of 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  through  a  4-inch  bore,  a  column  of  water 
sixty  feet  into  the  air,  at  the  rate  of  three  hundred  gallons  per 


AND    ADVANTAGES.  19 

minute;  or  about  fifteen  thousand  barrels  daily.  It  is  soft,  clear, 
pure,  and  bright  as  ever  sparkled  in  the  sunlight.  It  washes  equally 
as  well  as  rain-water,  without  a  particle  of  the  flat  or  insipid  taste 
attached  to  the  latter;  and  proves  especially  valuable  in  the  prep- 
aration of  dyes  for  coloring  clothes,  etc.  In  short,  no  better  water 
ever  gushed  from  its  crystal  fountain ;  and  these  wells  could  be  mul- 
tiplied, if  necessary,  to  supply  the  wants  of  one  hundred  thousand 
people.  Moreover,  all  that  portion  of  the  city  between  Eastern  Ave- 
nue and  Spring  Creek  is  on  a  broad  platteau,  or  plain,  of  gravel 
deposit,  affording  at  a  depth  of  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet,  never-failing 
wells  of  the  purest  water.  Therefore,  we  claim  for  Joliet  an  ample 
supply —  almost  as  cheap  and  free  as  the  air  we  breathe  —  of  that 
genuine  Elixir  of  Life,  viz. :  Pure  cold  water  ! 

HEALTH. 

Having  a  river  fall  of  thirty  feet,  within  our  city  limits,  affording 
no  chance  for  sluggish  streams ;  being  also  founded  upon  limestone 
rock  and  gravel  beds ;  with  an  ample  supply  of  as  pure  water  as  the 
earth  affords,  Joliet  could  not  fail  to  be  a  healthy  city.  Such  is  the 
verdict  of  our  physicians,  and  of  the  people.  And  such,  too,  is  the 
verdict  of  Mr.  Gooding,  of  Lockport,  our  worthy  state  engineer,  who 
declares  this  whole  region  as  healthy  as  the  most  favored  New 
England  hills.  True,  we  are  subject  to  sudden  changes  of  tempera- 
ture; but  no  more  sudden  or  extreme  than  most  other  portions  of  our 
country  experience.  Billions  complaints,  with  fever  and  ague,  are 
now  scarcely  known.  Consumptives  are  rarely  found.  "We  have 
some  chill-fevers,  and  rheumatic  invalids,  as  well  as  old  chronic  dis- 
orders — mostly  importations  into  the  country. 

In  conclusion,  those  who  adapt  their  clothing  to  the  climatic 
changes,  and  practice  common-sense  habits  of  life,  need  not  be  sick ; 
and  may  enjoy  as  "  green  old  age  "  here,  as  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

CHEAP  LOCATIONS. 

Compared  to  its  wealth,  business,  population,  and  great  resources, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  city,  east  or  west,  offers  such  cheap 
locations  for  homes;  shops  and  factories,  as  Joliet.  Within  the  city 
limits  are  hundreds  of  these  locations,  ranging  from  eighty  to  five 
hundred  dollars  per  acre.  One-fourth  of  an  acre  will  afford  a  poor 
man  a  location  for  his  cottage.  This,  at  the  first-named  figures,  will 
cost  him  but  twenty  dollars,  and  at  the  latter  price,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  dollars.  I  know  of  a  shoveler  in  the  gravel-pit,  who 


20  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

has  saved  out  of  his  earnings  in  1870,  enough  money  to  pay  for  his 
lot  and  the  building  of  a  cottage  home  upon  it.  Within  a  radius  of 
two  miles  from  the  court  house  are  hundreds  of  acres,  and  thousands 
of  locations,  ranging  all  the  way  between  the  above-named  figures. 
Many  of  these  arc  unsurpassed  as  sites  for  beautiful  homes.  Of 
course,  these  statements  do  not  apply  to  the  business  centers  of  the 
city. 

For  fuller  information  concerning  cheap  locations,  address 
Geo.  II.  Ward,  Macomber  &  Elwood,  or  E.  T.  Chase,  real  estate 
dealers,  Joliet. 

SURROUNDINGS. 

We  make  no  pretensions  to  the  picturesque  scenery  of  the  Pali- 
sades; or  the  magnificent  grandeur  of  the  Mississippi  bluffs.  But 
while  we  fail  in  soaring  to  the  regions  of  the  sublime,  we  do  claim  to 
revel  amid  scenes  of  the  beautiful. 

Joliet  is  encircled  with  an  amphitheater  of  noble  hills  that  rise 
and  fall  in  gracefully  moulded  swells,  like  grand  ocean  billows, 
whose  crested  tops  wave  with  groves  of  Elysian  beauty,  like  so 
many  plumed  helmets  of  Genii  of  the  forest,  looking  down  into  the 
valley  upon  our  shining  river  and  bustling  city.  This  panoramic 
out-line  of  noble  hills  is  interspersed  and  beautified  by  gentler  undu- 
lating elevations ;  with  shady  nooks  and  dells,  and  grassy  dales  of 
bewitching  loveliness.  Traverse  these  surroundings  when  attired  in 
their  fresh,  bright  robes  of  spring-time  beauty;  or  when  decked  with 
the  variegated  and  gorgeous  hues  of  autumnal  splendor,  and  that 
beholder  has  neither  poetry  nor  music  in  his  soul  —  has  little  love  of 
Nature,  or  of  "  Nature's  God,"  who  is  not  moved  to  rapturous 
delight  and  adoration  !  We  close  with  the  prediction  that  the  time 
is  coming  when  one  hundred  thousand  denizens  shall  people  this  city ; 
and  when  these  pleasant  surroundings  shall  be  all  gemmed  over 
with  the  abodes  of  the  opulent  and  the  refined. 


MOULDING  SAND. 

Adjoining  us,  and  in  our  town,  are  valuable  beds  of  moulding 
sand ;  fine  in  quality,  and  suitable  for  all  styles  of  castings.  It  can 
be  delivered  in  the  city  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  ten  York  shillings 
per  ton,  and  in  quantities  inexhaustible. 

About  fifty  boat  loads  are  annually  shipped  to  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  —  being  about  fifty  thousand  tons. 


AND     ADVANTAGES. 


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22  JOLIET:  ITS  RESOURCES 


DISTRIBUTIVE  CENTER. 

All  manufacturers  desire  the  best  and  cheapest  facilities  for 
shipping  their  wares  in  every  direction.  Joliet  has  more  direct  rail- 
road connections  east  and  west  than  any  other  competing  city.  Of 
course,  no  place  assumes  to  equal  Chicago  in  the  number  of  its  con- 
nections, although  we  beat  her  in  straight  lines.  We  also  possess 
more  diverging  connections  than  any  place  of  similar  size.  And 
moreover,  by  means  of  our  suburban  proximity  to  Chicago,  we 
virtually  enjoy  the  immense  net- work  of  railroad  connections  for 
shipping  purposes  that  center  in  that  great  city.  To  all  this,  we  add 
cheap  water  transportation  by  cana*.  and  river. 

Those  desiring  fuller  information  on  this  subject  are  referred  to 
the  article  in  this  pamphlet,  headed  "  Railroads,"  by  Hon.  H.  N. 
Marsh.  Therefore,  we  assume  that  there  is  no  more  eligible  point 
than  Joliet  for  the  reception  and  distribution  of  goods  from  and  too 
all  other  points  of  the  country. 

CHURCHES  Al  .     SCHOOLS. 

There  are  eleven  churches  in  Joliet  pretty  well  divided  among 
the  various  denominations,  and  well  supported.  We  append  the 
following  statement  politely  furnished  by  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Gilbert : 

Central  Presbyterian Rev.  H.  D.  Jenkins, 

First  Presbyterian "     C.  R.  Burdick, 

First  Baptist "     A.  G.  Eberhardt, 

Christ  Episcopal "     C.  A.  Gilbert, 

St.  John's  Universalist "     C.  H.  Button, 

Methodist  Episcopal "    F.  P.  Cleveland, 

First  Evangelical — Lutheran "     C.  Sans, 

St.  Peter's— Lutheran "     H.  Rohe, 

St.  Mary's — Roman  Catholic "     P.  W.  Riordan, 

St.  Patrick's — Roman  Catholic "     W.  H.  Powers, 

St.  John's— Roman  Catholic "    F.  H.  Nolte. 

Total  No.  of  Members 3,771 

Total  No.  of  Families 1,252 

Total  No.  of  Sittings 4,606 

TotalNo.  of  Pews 1,042 

CONTENTS. 

St.  Thomas  (  six  Sisters) $      6,000 

St.  Theresa  (seven  Sisters) 15,000 

Total  value  of  Churches  and  Convents 200,600 


AND   ADVANTAGES.  23 

The  schools  of  Joliet  share,  in  equal  measure,  the  same  liberal 
support  and  public  spirit  of  our  citizens  as  do  the  churches.  Pupils 
are  passed  from  the  primary  to  the  higher  schools,  where  they  are 
advanced  to  the  second  year,  in  a  college  course.  In  addition  to  the 
public  schools  we  have  a  commercial  college,  two  convent,  and  one 
or  two  select  schools.  The  following  is  a  brief  summary: 


Public  schools 6 

Teachers 27 

Pupils 2,000 

Yearly  expenses $  13,000 

Value  School  property —  75,000 


Student's  Com.  College 100 

Convent  schools 2 

Teachers  ....  , 13 

Pupils 400 

Value  property $21 ,000 


Total   Schools 10 

Total  Teachers 41 

Total  Pupils 2,500 

Total  value  Property $96,000 

FAIR  GROUNDS. 

The  agricultural  fair  grounds,  lying  about  two  miles  north  of 
Joliet,  on  the  Lockport  road,  consisting  of  forty  acres,  are  pleasantly 
located,  and  handsomely  improved.  But  last  season  some  new  fair 
grounds  were  secured,  lying  only  one-half  mile  east  of  the  city  limits, 
that  are  intended  ultimately  to  be  thrown  open  as  a  city  park,  when 
not  occupied  for  fair  purposes.  These  grounds  comprise  sixty-five 
acres,  and  are  universally  conceded  to  be  the  most  beautiful  and  con- 
venient fair  grounds  in  the  state.  They  were  purchased  at  a  cost  of 
ten  thousand  dollars,  and  six  thousand  dollars  more  have  already  been 
expended  in  improving  the  same. 

They  are  inclosed  by  a  tight  pine  lumber  fence  seven  feet  high ; 
contain  one  hundred  and  ten  stalls  for  horses  and  cattle ;  eighty  pens 
for  hogs  and  sheep,  and  a  large,  elegant  and  substantial  hall  for  the 
exhibition  of  fine  arts,  inventions,  products,  etc.  Three  beautiful 
springs  of  pure  water  within  the  grounds  afford  an  ample  supply  for 
five  thousand  people,  and  one  thousand  head  of  stock. 

A  charming  diversity  of  hill,  dale,  and  meadow-land,  inter- 
spersed with  groves  of  young  timber,  and  some  old  monarchs  of  the 
forest,  render  these  fair  grounds  genuine  Elysian  fields  for  the  poet, 
the  artist,  and  the  lover  of  nature.  A  graded  drive,  and  other  import- 
ant improvements  are  being  made  the  present  season,  at  a  further 
outlay  of  five  thousand  dollars,  thus  adding  the  embellishments  of 
art  toward  beautifying  yet  further  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  of  earth. 

At  the  first  fair  held  last  fall,  being  a  month  too  late  for  such 
occasions,  there  were  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighteen  entries, 
and  nearly  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  taken  at  the  gate. 


JOLIET:   ITS  RESOUKCES 


SOLID  FOUNDATIONS. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  rock  foundation  of  the  Joliet  Rolling  Mills 
saved  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  to  the  company.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  acres  of  contiguous  land  with  the  same  solid  foundation, 
exactly  adapted  to  the  location  of  all  kinds  of  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments. These  lands  border  upon  the  canal  and  railroad,  render- 
ing the  shipment  of  raw  materials  and  manufactured  wares  easy, 
cheap,  and  convenient. 

Let  all  classes  consider  that  such  works  at  Joliet  are  "founded 
upon  the  rock."  That  they  enjoy  unsurpassed  facilities  for  ship- 
ment; and,  that  as  a  distributive  center  we  believe  no  other  locality 
outside  of  Chicago  is  our  equal. 

CEMETERIES. 

The  interest  taken  in  that  last  resting  place  of  all  that  is  earthly 
of  ourselves  and  our  friends,  evinces  the  true  sentiment  of  commu- 
nity— 

"Man's  home  is  in  the  grave, 
Here  dwell  the  multitude  —  we  gaze  around ; 
We  read  the  monuments  —  we  sigh,  and  while 
We  sigh,  we  sink." 

There  are  several  fine  cemeteries  near  our  city.  One  of  these — 
the  most  spacious  and  beautiful  —  is  known  as  "  Oak  wood  Ceme- 
tery," lying  just  east  of  the  city  limits.  In  the  year  1856  a  special 
act  of  incorporation  was  obtained  of  our  State  Legislature,  for  its 
complete  management,  improvement,  and  preservation ;  since  which 
time  it  has  continued  to  be  adorned  and  beautified ;  while  much 
enduring  and  costly  monumental  stone  and  marble  work  has  been 
placed  there.  Several  of  these  incurred  an  expense  of  from  five 
to  ten  thousand  dollars;  and  others  but  little  less. 

In  the  center  of  these  grounds  stands  an  old  Indian  mound — an 
object  of  much  interest.  There  may  the  visitor,  when  the  wild  red 
men  have  disappeared  from  our  continent,  gaze  upon  the  spot  where 
rests  their  mouldering  dust ;  and  call  up  with  memories  of  the  past, 
visions  of  the  painted  warrior. 

Oakwood,  too,  is  classic  ground.  Many  traditionary  legends  are 
associated  with  the  spot ;  and  persons  are  now  living  who  have 
heard  them  from  the  lips  of  the  Indians,  who  once  stood  on  this  soil, 
but  are  now  sleeping  their  last  sleep  beneath  that  mound.  But 
dearer  to  the  gaze  are  the  consecrated  grounds  of  our  heroic  dead 
who  laid  down  their  lives  that  our  country  might  live. 


AND     ADVANTAGES.  25 


LOCAL  INSTITUTION'S. 

BANKS. — There  are  three  banks  in  the  city,  affording  every 
desired  facility  for  doing  business  in  their  line.  All  three  are 
conducted  by  gentlemen  of  high  character  and  great  experience, 
who  have  long  enjoyed  the  entire  confidence  of  our  business 
men. 

BUILDINGS  ERECTED  AND  IMPROVEMENTS  MADE  IN  1870. — The 
table  of  statistics  furnished  by  our  builders  is  unfortunately  lost. 
There  were  a  large  number  of  new  buildings  erected,  some  of 
them  costly  and  elegant.  Many  others  were  enlarged  and  im- 
proved. Including  the  rolling-mills,  the  enlarged  Cut-OIF  depot, 
new  convent,  school  houses,  etc.,  the  aggregate  amount  foots  up 
in  round  numbers  not- less  than  $550,000. 

BREWERIES. — Our  revenue  collector,  Col.  Hammond,  reports 
four  of  these  establishments,  as  follows  : 


E.  Porter,  Ale, 4,434 

A.  Scheldt,  Ale  &  Beer,...  2,0ll 

F.  Sehring,  Beer, 1,282 


Belz  Bros.,  Ale  &  Beer,...      409 


Total  bbls.  brewed, 8,136 


Most  of  this  is  shipped  to  other  markets. 

COMMERCIAL  COLLEGE. — The  commercial  college,  under  the 
energetic  and  efficient  management  of  Prof!  Russell,  is  a  credit  to 
our  city.  'It  combines  the  practical  and  academic  elements  of 
education,  and  fills  the  want  that  has  long  been  felt  by  our 
citizens.  This  institution  has  been  in  successful  operation 
about  five  years,  and  is  still  rapidly  increasing  in  members  and 
importance.  One  hundred  and  six  students  arc  now  in  atten- 
dance from  Joliet  and  vicinity,  which  is  a  strong  indorsement  of 
the  public  appreciation. 

EXPRESS. — The  express  business  is  large  and  increasing^ 
Amount  of  goods  received  in  1870  : 

Aggregate, $10,829.32 

On  goods  forwarded, 8,776.10 

Total  in  and  out  business, $19,605.42 

GAS  WORKS. — The  gas  works  of  the  city  were  erected  at  a 
cost  of  fifty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  connect  with  all 
the  business,  and  most  of  the  residence  portion  of  the  place. 
Their  present  capacity  will  supply  thirty  thousand  inhabitants. 
They  now  consume  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  tons  of  coal 
annually. 

2* 


26  JOLIET:  ITS  RESOURCES 

GRADED  STREETS. — Our  city  has  thirty-one  miles  of  streets, 
beautifully  graded  with  cement  gravel,  taken  from  the  famous 
beds  of  that  material,  near  at  hand.  These  smooth,  durable,  and 
substantial  thoroughfares  are  the  constant  theme  of  admiration 
to  strangers,  and  congratulation  to  residents.  The  action  of 
the  weather  and  results  of  use  hardens  and  solidifies  this  gravel, 
forming  a  pavement,  at  all  times  dry  and  even,  .naking  a  street 
comparing  favorably  with,  and  rivaling  even  the  granite,  Russ, 
and  other  block  pavements. 

HOTELS. — There  are  some  half-dozen  hotels,  ranging  from 
good  to  indifferent.  The  Auburn  House,  by  F.  Smiley,  and  the 
Delevan  House,  by  G.  B.  Mosey,  are  deservedly  popular.  But 
the  only  first-class  house  is  the  National,  kept  by  that  prince 
among  landlords,  W.  B.  Caswell,  Esq.  Our  progressive  city 
will  soon  demand,  a  hotel  of  more  magnificent  proportions  than 
any  of  these,  and  our  citizens  are  already  agitating  the  "ways 
and  means"  of  consumating  this  desirable  result. 

HAY  PRESS. — Niles'  hay  press  has  a  capacity  for  bailing  and 
shipping  twenty-five  hundred  tons  yearly.  This  hay  finds  a 
market  at  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans,  Boston,  and  New  York.  Our 
surplus  home  supplies  meet  a  ready  sale  at  the  press,  while  the 
labor  of  storage,  bailing  and  shipping  affords  employment  to  a 
goodly  number  of  men. 

INSURANCE. — There  are  eight  insurance  agencies  in  Joliet, 
whose  annual  receipts  for  premiums,  range  from  one  thousand 
to  twelve  thousand  dollars  each.  The  aggregate  amount  receipts 
of  all  the  offices  is  between  fifty  thousand  and  sixty  thousand 
dollars. 

INTERNAL  REVENUE. — An  examination  of  the  books  in  the 
office  of  Col.  C.  M.  Hammond,  internal  revenue  collector,  in  the 
city  of  Joliet,  shows  that  the  collections  for  the  six  months, 
ending  January  1st,  1871,  are  as  follows: 

July, $31,919.64 

August, 16,587.41 

September, 12,279.95 

October, 19,118.23 

November, 21,218.55 

December, 26,833.62 

TOTAL $127,957.40 

Double  this  for  year,  is $255,914.80 


AND     ADVANTAGES.  27 

ICE. — Our  spacious  river  basins  annually  supply  us  with 
overflowing  ice-houses,  of  the  purest  article.  Total  amount 
gathered  is  about  four  thousand  tons,  mostly  by  Mr.  LaFontaine, 
who  supplies  the  citizens  at  such  low  figures  that  all  can  afford 
to  "  keep  cool." 

LUMBEU. — The  lumber  trade  of  Joliet  is  mainly  confined  to 
four  different  yards.  The  amount  of  yearly  sales  is  from  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  Prices  have  ranged  for  some  years  as  follows: 

Common  pine,  per  M Si  4  to  §16 

Clear  pine,  per  M S,"0  to  $50 

An  ample  supply  of  white-wood  and  hard-wood  lumber  at 
reasonable  prices  i.s  also  shipped  to  our  Joliet  market,  from 
the  Indiana  and  Michigan  forests,  that  are  near  at  hand. 

NEWS  PAPERS. — There  ar£  two  weekly  newspapers  published 
in  Joliet.  The  Joliet  Republican,  by  James  Goodspeed,  and 
the  Joliet  Signal,  Democratic,  by  C.  &  C.  Zarley.  Both  are  con- 
ducted with  ability  and  commendable  enterprise.  A  great 
amount  of  job  work  is  done  at  both  offices,  as  well  as  at  the 
jobbing  office  of  Gritzner  &  Henderson.  We  are  too  near 
Chicago  to  warrant  a  daily  publication. 

POST  OFFICE. — Statement  of  business  done  during  the 
quarter  ending  December  21st,  1870: 


Amt.  of  orders  iss'd...$13,392.83 
Anat.  of  orders  paid...  7,999.94 
Amt.  stamps,  stamped 

envelopes  sold 2,605.03 


No.  mail  letters  rec'd. .  101,831 
No.  money  orders  iss'd  813 
No.  money  orders  paid,  439 


TELEGRAPH.  — Beside   the    three   railroad   depot  telegraph 

stations,  there  are  two  other  offices  in  Joliet.     The  aggregate 

business   of    these  two  offices  in    receipts   is   about  thirty-five 
hundred  dollars. 

MANUFACTORIES. 

THE    JOLIET  MANUFACTURING   Co. — (Incorporated),  manu- 
factures corn-shellers,  reapers,  mowers,  and  plows. 

Capital  stock, $250,000 

Act  of  incorporation  allows  increase  to 500,000 

Stock  sold, 280,000 

Amount  of  sales  in  1870, 100,000 

No.  of  men  employed, - . .  50 


28  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES 

It  is  safe  to  double  this  amount  in  the  implement  business 
done  at  Joliet,  yearly,  as  Mr.  Sanger's  establishment  approxi- 
mates these  figures,  of  which  no  returns  have  been  received. 
Moreover,  there  are  other  lighter  establishments,  besides  five  or 
six  vendors  of  implements. 

WOOLLEN  FACTORY. —  The  paid   up   capital   stock   in    this 

factory  is §36,000 

No.  of  looms, 13 

No.  spindles, 870 

No.  sets  of   curds, 3 

Manufactures  every  description  of  woollen  goods,  and  has  a 
capacity  of  four  hundred  yards  of  cloth  daily.  The  goods  pro- 
duced are  unsurpassed  in  quality. 

It  gives  employment  to  thirty  or  forty  hands,  and  is  run  by 
either  steam  or  water-power. 

FLOURING  MILLS. — Hyde's  Joliet  Mill  and  Elevator  is  a 
substantial  stone  structure,  forty-one  by  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet,  and  three  stories  high.  It  has  six  run  of  stone,  four  feet 
burrs,  capable  of  flouring  three  hundred  barrels,  daily.  The 
capacity  for  storage  is  five  hundred  thousand  bushels.  Water- 
fall, ten  feet.  Capital,  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

The  City  Mills,  of  Adam  &  Wilcox,  have  five  run  of  stone, 
with  a  capacity  of  flouring  two  hundred  barrels,  daily.  This  and 
the  Hyde  mill  are  not  surpassed  in  their  fixtures  or  quality  of 
work.  Capital,  forty  thousand  dollars.  The  extensive  mill  and 
warehouse  of  H,  S.  Carpenter,  was  totally  burned  down,  and  has 
not  been  rebuilt.  We  have  one  saw-mill  at  the  lower  dam. 

PLAINING  MILLS. — There  are  three  plaining  mills,  and  a 
fourth  is  to  be  erected. 

No.  of  feet  dressed  yearly, 1,000,000 

Capacity  to  dress, 4,000,000 

Furnish  employment  to  men, 30 

SASH  AND  BLINDS. — Two  of  these  factories  are  in  operation, 
with  facilities  for  attaching  one  to  each  plaining  mill.  Amount 
of  work  done  yearly  : 

Sash,  for  No.  windows 6,000 

Blinds,  "         5,000 

Doors  made, 4,000 

Capacity  double  this  amount.     Men  employed, 12  to  15 


ATD    ADVANTAGES.  29 

JOLIET  MOUND  WORKS. — Mount  Joliet,  as  it  is  put  down  upcn 
the  maps,  lies  two  miles  below  the  city.  It  does  not  equal  in  value 
the  Iron  Mountain  of  Missouri,  and  yet  it  is  a  rare  deposit  of  rich 
and  varied  materials.  It  contains  an  immense  amount  of  cement 
gravel  and  of  various  clays  and  other  materials  required  for  pottery, 
stone-ware,  tile,  fire-brick,  and  bath,  or  polishing  brick. 
We  give  some  statistics  for  the  past  year,  1STO: 

Stone  Ware  Sewer  "Pipe,  feet, 150,000 

Drain  Tile,  feet, 800,000 

Fire  Brick,  number, 200,000 

Bath  Brick,  for  polishing, 150,000 

Tons  of  coal  consumed, ' 2,000 

Tons  of  clay  consumed, 6,000 

Number  of  men  employed, 40 

Amount  of  sales, from  $65,000  to  $75,000 

Capacity  of  the  works,  double  the  above.  Quality  of  the  wares 
equal  to  any,  whether  of  American  or  foreign  production. 

TANNERY. — Mack,  Cleghorn  &  Go's.,  tannery  is  a  spacious 
building,  with  all  the  usual  appliances  for  running  such  establish- 
ments : 

Capital  invested, $45,000 

Aggregate  yearly  wages, 14,900 

Yearly  capacity  for  tanning  hides, 15,000 

Cords  of  bark  used  in  the  same  time, 700 

Men  employed, 20 

BRICK  AND  BRICK  MACHINES. — There  are  two  yards  a  little 
beyond  the  city  limits.  They  supply  the  market  with  a  good 
article,  varying  in  quality,  from  four  to  ten  dollars  per  thousand. 
Shreffler's  champion  brick  machine,  which  is  extensively  made 
here,  is  among  the  most  useful  labor-saving  inventions  of  the 
age.  While  simple  and  cheap,  it  has  capacity  for  making  ten 
thousand  to  twenty  thousand  good  brick  daily.  At  six  state 
fairs  it  has  been  awarded  the  first  premium. 

Their  growing  popularity  is  attested  by  the  increased 
demand  for  them  in  all  directions. 

CAGWIN'S  ROTARY  PLOW. — Among  the  implements  manu- 
factured at  the  establishment  of  Sangcr  &  Co.,  is  the  Rotary 
Plow,  recently  invented  and  patented  by  our  townsman,  F.  L. 
Cagwin,  Esq.,  which  bids  fair  to  effect  the  same  revolution  in  the 
plow-field,  that  the  reaper  has  done  in  the  harvest-field. 


30  JOLIET  t     ITS   RESOURCES 

Though  but  just  introduced,  it  has  been  sufficiently  tested 
to  prove  that  it  must  soon  take  rank  among  the  most  important 
inventions  of  the  age — destined  to  command  a  speedy  and  exten- 
sive manufacture  and  sale.  Experience  among  our  farmers  the 
last  two  seasons  has  fully  proven  that  it  will  add  from  twenty- 
five  to  fifty  per  cent,  to  the  productiveness  of  land  tilled  by  this 
machine,  over  that  tilled  by  the  ordinary  methods.  And  this, 
too,  with  no  little  saving  of  time,  of  team,  and  of  manual  labor. 
While  it  is  no  part  of  our  object  to  puff  any  of  our  manufacto- 
ries, we  deem  it  no  deviation  from  our  plan  to  hold  out  this  as  a 
prominent  inducement  to  our  agricultural  friends  to  locate  where 
alone,  for  some  years  at  least,  these  valuable  machines  can  be 
obtained. 

MARKETS. 

GRAIN. — The    local    shipment   of  grain  was   light  in    1870, 

owing  to  prevailing   light  crops.     This  exhibit  is  for  the   year 
ending  August  1st: 

Corn  by  railroad — bushels, 2,300,000 

"       "     canal              "          276,463 

Oats    "    railroad         "          400,000 

"       "     canal               •'          137,435 

Barley  and  Wheat,     "          12,000 

TOTAL    BUSHELS, 3,125,898 

DRESSED  HOGS. — By  railroad,  58  cars, 1 ,404,000  foe. 

The  light  grain  crop  produced  a  corresponding  diminution 
of  pork. 

CATTLE. — The  shipment  of  cattle  at  this  point  is  immense. 
The  statistics  from  our  three  depots  have  not  come  to  hand 
in  time.  But  we  may  say  that  the  bovine  interest  to  our  city  and 
railroads  is  great — as  beside  the  local  trade,  there  are  heavy 
trans-shipments  of  this  stock.  Additional  roads  are  now  con- 
structing to  center  here,  that  will  add  greatly  to  this  interest. 

Want  of  space  precludes  the  insertion  of  our  prepared  schedule, 
classifying  all  the  business  departments  of  the  city,  together  with 
the  names  of  parties,  and  amount  of  business  done  by  each. 

The  entire  list  embraces  about  three  hundred  business  names 
and  firms ;  and  the  sum  total  of  all  business  amounts,  in  round  num- 
bers, to  about  ten  million  of  dollars. 


AND   ADVANTAGES.  81 


CONCLUSION. 

We  hare  spoken  for  Joliet  in  these  pages  with  some  ardor,  but 
with  "  words  of  truth  and  soberness."  Compare  our  array  of  facts, 
with  all  that  can  be  said  in  favor  of  other  localities.  Where  else  can 
you  find  in  such  abundance  and  cheapness  all  raw  material  for  erect- 
ing homes,  business-blocks  and  factories?  Where  such  solid  found- 
ation of  rock  as  ours?  Or  such  cheap  locations  to  build  upon? 
Where  else,  but  here,  is  the  great  air-line  route  of  trade  and  travel? 
Or  where  such  a  concentrated  net-work  of  railroad  connections  ? 
and  consequently  where  such  a  distributive  center  for  the  reception 
and  distribution  of  goods,  from  and  too,  every  point  of  the  compass? 

Where  our  equal  water-power  ?  or  better  canal  and  river  trans- 
portation, backed  up  as  they  are  by  Lake  Michigan  pouring  past  our 
doors  ?  Where  have  they  such  coal  mines  as  ours  ?  Or  such  Joliet 
marble  ?  Or  such  cement  gravel  beds  ?  Or  artesian  wells  ?  Or 
delightful  surroundings?  Or  agricultural  resources?  Or  cheap 
homes,  and  cheap  living  for  the  poor  man  ?  In  short,  where  do  so 
many  elements  cluster  at  one  point  for  the  sure  reward  of  labor  and 
capital  in  building  up  hundreds  of  diversified  industrial  manufactur- 
ing enterprises  ?  Look  at  what  our  endorsers  say ;  read  the  article 
of  Mr.  Gooding,  of  Lockport,  state  engineer  for  over  thirty  years, 
upon  our  canal  and  water-power ;  study  the  exhibit  of  Joliet  rail- 
roads and  connections,  by  Hon.  H.  N.  Marsh ;  of  the  article  on 
smelting  ores,  by  Mr.  Samuel  Reed,  the  world-renowned  engineer  of 
the  Pacific  Railroad.  Peruse  Hon.  A.  B.  Mocker's  exposition  of  our 
coal  and  iron  interests ;  Judge  Randall's  lucid  views  upon  agricul- 
tural resources ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  valuable  production  of 
Hon.  W.  A.  Steel,  on  stone!  These,  and  other  equally  reliable 
backers  to  our  pamphlet  can  be  named — as  reliable  as  Astor  or 
Stewart  on  a  note  or  bond.  If  such  facts,  such  resources,  such 
inducements,  and  such  backers  are  satisfactory  to  the  reader,  we 
cordially  invite  him  to  pull  at  the  "  latch  string  "  of  our  city,  and 
the  door  shall  be  open  for  him  to  come  in. 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


32  JOLIET:   ITS  RESOURCES  AND  ADVANTAGES. 

THE  JOLIET  ROLLING  MILLS. 

[  From  the  Chicago  Railway  Review.  ] 

This  establishment  is  one  of  the  enterprises  of  the  "Union 
Coal,  Iron  and  Transportation  Co.,"  and  is  under  the  same  general 
management  as  the  Bridgeport  (Chicago)  blast  furnaces  of  the 
"  Chicago  Iron  Co.,"  Mr.  A.  B.  Meeker,  of  this  city,  being  the  pres- 
ident, and  Mr.  J.  II.  Wrenn  (of  Wrenn,  Ullman  &  Co.,  bankers,  of 
Chicago),  being  the  treasurer  of  both  companies;  Mr.  I.  R.  Adams 
being  secretary  of  the  Rolling  Mill  Co.  Mr.  Meeker  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  Eureka  Mining  (coal)  Co.,  at  Wilmington,  on  the 
C.,  A.  &  St.  L.  R.  11.,  fifty-three  miles  from  Chicago,  and  fifteen 
miles  beyond  Joliet.  The  pig,  manufactured  from  Lake  Superior 
ore,  and  the  finest  of  our  Illinois  bituminous  coals,  are  thus  brought 
together  with  the  utmost  facility  and  economy.  The  advantages  of 
Joliet  (where  the  company  have  purchased  a  tract  of  fifty  acres)  for 
manufacturing  enterprises  are  not  surpassed  by  those  of  any  other 
point  in  Illinois.  Situated  at  the  intersection  of  the  C.,  A.  &  St.  L., 
and  C.,  It.  I.  &  P.  R.  R.,  and  being  the  terminus  of  the  M.  C.  (  Jol- 
iet Cut-Oft')  it  has  the  most  direct  and  closest  connections  with  the 
entire  railway  system  of  the  East,  West,  and  South.  These  will 
soon  be  increased  by  the  completion  of  new  lines  in  progress,  and 
projected.  The  line  of  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  will  be  soon 
completed  between  Joliet  and  Aurora,  on  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.  ;  and  the 
Joliet,  Newark  &  Mendota  R.  R.  is  projected,  givkig  connections 
both  with  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.,  and  I.  C.  Situated  in  the  center  of  the 
celebrated  "  Joliet  Marble  "  fields,  the  building  resources  of  the 
place  are  also  unsurpassed,  as  the  substantial  stone  and  iron  struc- 
tures of  the  rolling  mills  show. 

The  mills  began  running  about  eight  months  ago;  and  it  speaks 
well  for  the  character  of  the  enterprise  that,  during  a  very  dull  man- 
ufacturing season,  in  which  many  mills  have  been  compelled  to 
temporarily  cease  running,  the  orders  upon  it  have  necessitated  the 
working  of  a  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  one  turn  a  day. 
The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  kbout  twenty-five  thousand  tons  of  rails 
per  year.  Rails  of  any  size  or  pattern  are  made. 

Perhaps  no  other  assurance  is  needed  of  the  excellence  of  the 
rails  made  here  than  the  fact  that  among  the  purchasers  of  them 
have  been  the  C.,  A.  &  St.  L.,  the  C.,  R.  I.  &  P.,  and  C.  &  S.  W.  R. 
Companies.  The  company  have  nearly  perfected  plans  for  Besse- 
mer steel  works,  on  their  grounds  at  Joliet.  It  is  expected  to  begin 
building  in  the  spring,  and  to  have  the  work  in  operation  in  the  fall, 
at  a  cost  of  from  $200,000  to  $300,000. 


A     000  61 1  290 


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